Catching up...again!

I have neglected my blog. I know. I feel really bad. Well, maybe not that bad. I was just enjoying the Holiday break with family and good food! So, here are a few things that have happened in the last little bit.

The weekend before Christmas, Michael's family came to stay with us for the weekend. We had such a great time with them. I love when they come. My mother-in-law is like my "out", I like to say. I love when she is here and spending time with her. We watched some movies, went shopping and ate some yummy food. We had Michael's uncle come over with his kids on Sunday for some good food. I made this fabulous recipe that is just like the Cafe Rio sweet pork salad. It is so delicious! Everyone loved it! My Dad stopped by with some more Christmas gifts. We all chatted and then read the story of Christ's birth.

On Christmas Eve, I decided to get the house nice and clean for Santa to come. It is so much nicer to wake up to a clean house, open presents and then take a nap. I opened the front door to run the garbage outside and when I returned, there was a bird in our house. It must have been hiding from the rain outside and flew in while I was emptying the trash. It took us a good 15 minutes to get the bird out of the house. What an adventure!

Santa did decide to stop by our house with a few things. The kids enjoyed opening presents and playing with each other. I enjoyed taking a nap!

In other news, my garden has been doing well. At least until the freeze a couple of nights ago. My tomato plants froze and look horrible! I think a little part of the plant survived. Maybe we can keep it going? My broccoli is still great! I have already harvested a couple of heads and I am so excited they did so well!

This is such a good time of year to go outside, since the summer is way too hot. However, when it rains here, our backyard stays wet for a long time. It does not see very much sun. And it is still just dirt. Not a great combination. But, I figured the kids should be able to go outside and play to their hearts content while I watered the plants. Hannah did not hesitate one bit. She got sooooo muddy.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas, just as we did!

What I learned today

My children teach me so many things each day. Today, as I was cooking lunch, I could smell something burning. I knew it was not the rice in the pot, or the chicken in the microwave. I thought maybe it was some residue from ribbon on the burner. (When I sew with ribbon, I burn the edges so they don't unravel.) It was not that. The smell kept getting stronger and stronger. I knew I needed to figure out what it was before the house burned down. I went up the stairs...and the burning smell became stronger. I followed my nose in to Caden's room. The lamp was on and something was in it....with a little smoke coming out. This is what I saw.

So, today, I learned that legos and lightbulbs don't compliment each other very well. He had put one of his bionicle legos in the lamp so that Weston would not touch it. So much for that. It does not look like that guy will be played with much more.

Maybe Santa will bring some more legos this Christmas?

Giving and Giving!

Michael noticed a few days ago that I have not posted in a bit. He then asked me if I was going to post on my Birthday. Of course I said, "NO! How lame is that? I just want to wish myself a Happy Birthday today!" However, it is my Birthday today and I am posting. Not to wish myself a good one....now that I am 30 (very old!), but because I have been so overwhelmed with goodness in my life!
I am so blessed to be born to goodly parents who truly love the Lord and love me unconditionally. They so selflessly give of themselves to any of their children when in need. They are enormous examples of faith and how living the gospel brings us happiness! I am so blessed to be given the chance to be born at this time when the gospel has been restored and in this country where I can worship how, where and what I may. I am surrounded by good people who love me. My wonderful husband and children who are so patient of my LACK of patience. I have been given kind and loving siblings and friends. I think I forget how much goodness there really is in this deteriorating world. I have been humbled with the giving and giving of so many as of late. Thank you Mom and Dad, Rich and Ellen, Michael, Becky, Andrea and to all my wonderful friends. You all give me something, whether you know it or not. It is the season of giving and I can only hope that I can give back a smidgen of what I have received from all of you. Thank you all and I love you with all my heart!

P.S. I have decided that I have a complex about posting pictures. I have a hard time posting without a picture or video. So, you get a random picture that we discovered over Thanksgiving of Michael and I going disco bowling....back in the day. This picture was taken about 11 years ago and obviously has nothing to do with the post. But, what can I say? I NEED to post a picture.

Post for Antha

Yesterday, Michael mentioned that he needed a creative outlet. We talked for a while about things he could do using his creative energy considering the limited amount of time available in his busy life. I really like this story he had started as a screenplay some time ago. I think I have convinced him that he should write a book about this story. He is such a talented writer and I think it would be a great book. I am not sure if all of this talking sparked some childhood memories or what, but just a few minutes later he was outside digging in the dirt. He was building a fort with the kids! I actually got involved by gathering some tree limbs to build the forest. I had to take some pictures. After taking some pictures, Michael told me that this post would be for his cousin Antha. He and Anthony used to build forts like this all the time. So, this is for you Antha. Michael is passing on the tradition to his boys!

Hannah came in the house with some dirt on her mouth. I figure she ingested a good amount of protein!

P.S. Michael started writing last night....and can I just tell you he is amazing! I am really excited to keep him writing!

The Season has ended!

And boy am I glad! I love that my son enjoys football and has a talent for it! It's just all the driving for practices and games. They start off the season practicing 5 days a week for 2 hours. This lasts for the whole month of August. It's finally cut down to 2 days a week for 2 hours with a game every Saturday. Now, if you ask me, I would say, "They are only nine for crying out loud!" But, it's over and I don't have to worry about driving him to and from football. Michael will miss the early Saturday mornings with a doughnut and newspaper waiting for the game to start. And watching the game, of course! Caden only had one game he did not score for the team! He did great and his team finished the season 6 and 4.....and the Queen Creek Champions! Way to go Caden! We are so proud of you!

Canadian Police Chase!

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Mini Michael

Just a couple of nights ago, we had He-Man cartoons blaring on the television. (oh my....I forgot how cheesy those were) Michael was so impressed that Weston had picked this dvd out for me to turn on that he left the room and came back a few minutes later with some old He-Man toys for him to play with. Along with that was a box of memorabilia. Picture after picture....we laughed and reminisced. And then he pulled this picture out.

Oh, my! How much does this little guy look like him?

Pretty much identical.....I would say.

And for those of you that do not know Michael very well, he is a tease! He loves to hold his kids down, pull their arms up and lightly bite their belly to tickle torture them. He even loves to pull their little shirts up exposing the belly button to tease them even more. So, I bet you are wondering what this has to do with Weston being somewhat similar to his father. Well, I captured this on my camera today. Just for your info.....no coaxing was involved on my part. This was purely little Weston at work!

Happy Halloween!

So after all of my sewing for hours and hours in my closet, I figured I would be taking enough pictures of my kids to fill an album. I did almost that, but not quite. I will share some of my favorites, but I have some other things to share first.

Who knew it could be sooo HOT on the 31st of October? After all, it was 93 degrees this afternoon which I can attest to. I was out at the park with my kids per Weston's request.

After playing on the slides, Weston asked to go on the swings. He loves to swing high! I put Hannah in one swing and gave her a little push. Then it was Weston's turn. I picked up that tank and put him in his swing. Before I could even push him he looked at me and said, "I be close to my Jesus." It took me a bit to process, but then I got it. He wanted me to push him high so he could be close to Jesus. Tug my heart strings!

Now on to the part everyone is waiting for. Last year, before Hannah was even born, Ellen purchased a little Tinkerbell pattern at the fabric store to be used this year. We have obviously had some time to think about this years costumes. We figured if Hannah was Tinkerbell, we should make Weston Peter Pan and Caden Captain Hook. I have been doing A LOT of sewing and now my house looks like Hurricane Ike came through it. I have much cleaning to do.......but I figure it was worth it. I think they look darn cute!

A little bit of every day

I got an email from Aunt Andrea letting me know she was missing pictures of the kids. Well, I have not taken too many. I did take this one picture of Hannah after we made some cookies in hopes of starting the "Halloween Ghost" tradition in our neighborhood. I think every kid should be able to lick the beaters every once in while.
Also, Weston made me laugh today. He was looking at colors and pointed to the color purple and said, "Purple." Very excited I said, "That's right! You are one smart cookie!" He looked at me a little confused and said, "Weston is a cookie now?" So cute!

I'm sure you are all wondering.....

what the "buzz" is at the Bast house. As I was sitting on the couch near the front window yesterday, I was admiring my blooming plants in the front yard. I looked at our tree that needs some trimming and noticed a very large black......something. I couldn't tell what it was. I thought maybe someone lost a dark colored hat or shirt that was blown in the wind and ended up hanging over one of the branches. I walked outside to observe the lost something....and the lost something was a HUGE clump of bees! Okay....maybe not HUGE. But, I thought it was. It is probably the size of half a basketball. After much concern and looking for a bee exterminator, my second counselor (who does pest control) in the bishopric explained everything.

Apparently this is the time of year that the bees travel to or from the mountains...don't remember which. The queen bee is enveloped in the middle of this clump as they travel and they have to stop and rest every once in a while. I guess they reserved a room at the Bast Inn without my knowledge. But, they should be gone in a couple of days without any harm done. This is the best picture I could get without thinking I would be stung to death!

Happy Birthday Hannah!

Hannah turned one today! Time sure flies! Not too much was happening at the Bast home front in lieu of the Birthday celebration. But, we did celebrate, and that is all that matters.

I received this cupcake clip complimentary of Hannah's Birthday a couple of weeks ago.

Which inspired me to make this outfit to compliment the complimentary cupcake clip.

Quite froofy....I know. But, I LOVE how it turned out. I used to not like froofy things as a little girl, but times have changed! We did do a little Birthday shopping this evening....thanks to the Grandparents! And to finish the evening off.......

Hannah did this.

And then THIS
(which neither of my boys did...way to go girl!)

And a BIG SMILE

We love you Hannah!

Grandparents and Football

What a fun weekend we had! Grandma and Grandpa Bast came to visit and I was able to see Caden play his best football game this season! He scored three touchdowns for his team this last Saturday. It is such a joy to watch my talented son! Grandma and Grandpa Bast were able to watch him play as well, which does not happen often. This time of year, we do not see them much. Caden has a football game every weekend, as well as Uncle Alec and Sean. So, it ends up neither family can visit the other without missing games. It was a treat to have the Grandparents down this weekend!

Jeffrey R. Holland Quote

" God is eagerly waiting for the chance to answer your prayers and fulfill your dreams, just as He always has. But, He can't if you don't pray, and He can't if you don't dream. In short, He can't if you don't believe."
- Jeffrey R. Holland

My good friend Jeff shared with me this quote about 7 or 8 months ago and I was surprised with the language Elder Holland used in regards to dreaming. Usually dreaming has such a bad connotation attached to it, that I enjoyed a unique perspective on how it is an important part of our relationship with our Heavenly Father.

GRATEFUL

I loved this conference weekend and all the messages that were given! Elder Bednar spoke about prayer and challenged us to pray about all the things we are grateful for.....nothing more. I have taken that challenge, but also thought I could post some things that I am grateful for this last weekend.

I am GRATEFUL for my beautiful family. I am GRATEFUL for the gospel and the guidance it gives me each day. I am GRATEFUL for living prophets who receive revelation in our behalf. I am GRATEFUL I was able to plant a small garden in hopes of becoming more self-reliant. I am GRATEFUL that Michael was able to attend the Priesthood session. I am GRATEFUL that we had a chance to go out on a date after the Priesthood session. I am GRATEFUL that Michael decided we should turn around and head back home when the radio started to die in the car on the way to our movie. I am GRATEFUL that the car died in an area where we were able to get in on the side of the road without harm. I am GRATEFUL for Elder Wirthlin's talk during the Saturday afternoon session that reminded us to laugh through it all. I am GRATEFUL that our neighbor was able to come and help us get the car home. I am GRATEFUL that we had another vehicle to drive to the Blockbuster to replace the date night movie at the theater. I am GRATEFUL that we had some left over prescription when Hannah awoke with the croup later that same night. I am GRATEFUL for the priesthood and a worthy husband who blesses our home. I am GRATEFUL for a cozy home to live in and food to eat. I am GRATEFUL for the atonement and the meaning it gives to my life. And last, but not least, I am GRATEFUL for my children who play together nice.....most of the time.

Not such an innocent face?

Some of you may recall that Michael recently switched jobs. We both prayed about it and felt really good about it. We knew that he would be cutting his salary in half.....until things pick up. This meant that I may have to go back to work for a while to help pay the bills. I figured I have experience dispatching and so that is what I looked for. Pinal County just happened to be hiring and so I applied. It is always a long process to get hired and today I had the privilege of taking part in a "truth test". It was more-or-less a lie detector test using your voice frequency. I hate those things, because I don't know that they actually work. But, that has never been the issue.

The questions start off simple. "Is your name Sarah Dianne Bast?" "Yes", I reply. "Do I have a mustache?" Another yes is heard from my mouth. But these questions become more and more personal. "Have you ever tried cocaine or any other drug?" I truthfully reply, "No." The test continues until finished and the Sergeant then reviews the test looking a little confused. At least that is the impression coming my way.

"It's just really strange," he says to me while rubbing his chin and staring at the computer monitor. "Your voice seemed really stressed on every question."

I crinkle my nose and respond, "Really?"

The Sergeant smoothly tips his chair to the reclining position and looks at me over the rim of his glasses. "Now, are you sure you have never been to a party when you were in high school where other kids were taking drugs or drinking?"

"Yes. I am pretty sure. If they were, I was oblivious to the fact."

To quickly finish the story, he looks at me and proceeds to ask if I am mormon. Of course I said yes and he continued to tell me that he had partied with plenty of mormons as a juvenile who were not innocent of such behavior. I think I have had every person at every "truth test" question me about the fact that I have never tasted one drop of alchohol or tried any type of drug. How could this be? So rare, it must be, to not have succumed to the temptation.

He did not even tell me if I passed or failed, which does not matter to me. All that matters is that I know I told the truth, whether or not they want to believe. I figure no one can trust a face like that, right?

P.S. for those of you that saw the previous picture of me...I had to change it. I think I looked like a member of "KISS".

Hannah is walking!

Funny how she is wearing the same pajamas as the last post. Thank you to the fashionista Amy!

The Sunday Sillies!

Sunday's are LONG days at our house. Church does not start until 2. When we get to church, I wonder why I am there chasing children around, not able to take in one ounce of any lesson. Regardless, I realize that is where I am supposed to be and so I do it. This last Sunday Weston was very sick with the croup. Due to the fact that we do not have insurance this month, I am avoiding nursery in hopes to keep my kids somewhat healthy. So, at home we stayed........all day. When evening came, Daddy plugged in his ipod and let the music ring throughout the house. He loves to dance with Weston and Hannah, and they love to dance with Daddy. We were jamming out having a great time! I took some video, but it ended up sideways. I figured no one wanted to turn their computer sideways to watch. I also took some silly pictures of us, so that is what you get. Just a little Sunday silliness!

Tis the Season.....

for Charlie Brown. I love the old Peanuts movies around the Holiday's. Weston has become enthralled with most of the Pixar/Disney movies. He just could not get into the movies with the traditional animation. But, a few weeks ago, Weston pulled out our three disc set of Charlie Brown and asked to watch it. To my surprise, he could not take his eyes from the movie. If you have not seen these movies in a while, you should. They bring back some good childhood memories. But, the best part is seeing Charlie Brown get a rock at every door when he goes trick-or-treating!

Painting

So, I realize that I said I would post pictures of my painting jobs quite some time ago. Actually, it was not just me that painted. Andrea and Tra' were the real reason that I got this done! They painted almost the whole time they were here to visit! Thank you to you both! I don't know why I just never got around to posting pictures. I took some pictures of Weston's room and the half bath that I painted. I painted Hannah's room a really soft yellow that I love, but I have not done anything else in her room. I thought it was too boring to post.....maybe later when I get it more decorated. Weston's still needs some work. I really want to make some cute throw pillows for his bed and find a cheap side table to paint. He also needs a bed skirt of some kind. And, please ignore the frame that has no pictures in it. I will put some in soon! Hope you like it!

It's hard being 2

Weston is going through a phase....the two-year-old phase. Most of the time he is very loving and happy, but the rest is not so happy. He seems to want everything that Hannah touches, even if it is a dirty diaper. He thinks he needs to play with everything she is playing with. He also gets really upset if something is not freakin' (he means working, but that is what his version sounds like). And he is really starting to tease Caden back. I keep telling Caden that he needs to be careful. Weston will be bigger than him someday. But this is what happens when you have an older brother that likes to tease you while you are sleeping on the couch (you get a pot handcuffed to your arm).

As you can see, I forced Caden to be in the picture. He was hiding in between the ottoman and the couch, so I simply placed my foot on his stomach to hold him down. He was reaching for the pillow to hide himself.....but, no such luck!

Weston likes to give kisses and he likes getting kisses, most of the time. He has decided if he doesn't like the kiss you gave him, he will spit on his hand and rub it over the kiss. I'm not sure where he picked that up. But, today is what I am most puzzled about. We were getting ready to go to the grocery store when Weston headed into the bathroom and turned on the water in the sink. He started crying/screaming for me to help him. When I entered the bathroom I could see that he was trying to climb into the sink. I thought he just wanted to wash his hands better. But, as I picked him up, he lowered his head down into the water. He told me he wanted his hair wet. After he wet his hair, I went to brush his hair and he did not like that. He insisted that he re-wet his hair after the brush touched it. So, back into the bathroom we went, and into the sink went his head. I finally got him out in the car and this is how he went to the store.

It's hard being 2.

The Kids

Michael is in Washington this weekend shooting commercials. He has been working the last three weekends, so figuring out what to do with the kids has been fun. There is only so many times I can listen to Weston watch Monsters Inc. and Blue's Clues. I decided that we should go on a walk to the park before bed time and play in the "indirect" sunlight to avoid heat stroke.

Weston has made it a habit of riding Caden's scooter whenever we go on walks. I think he looks so cute/funny when he rides it. He is so good at it that it looks unnatural......that is the only way to put it. The video is a little crazy, due to me walking while taking it. We made it through the day and the house is quiet with the dishwasher running...and I am ready to plunk down on my bed and flip the television on for a little bit.